Earlier, there were several ways mobile application development was done. It was time-consuming and tedious; as a result, the developer had to use individual platforms to create native apps, which was expensive. But with the evolution of cross-platform technologies like Flutter and Progressive Web Applications, the cost of mobile app development has been reduced significantly.
We are going to compare Flutter vs PWA in this article. As both these technologies are cross-platform technologies, it will be a bit complex to compare them, but there are a few factors where these technologies differ.
Before comparing Flutter vs PWA, we will briefly understand Flutter and PWA.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a user interface developed by Google. It is free and openly available for developing mobile applications. With this framework, we can develop cross-platform mobile applications. Because of this feature, the cost of development decreases, and it also maximizes productivity. Currently, Flutter 3 supports Android, Linux, macOS, iOS, Windows, and others. Examples of applications developed with Flutter are Google Ads. Google Pay, BMW, ByteDance, Dream 11, and many more.
What is PWA?
PWA means Progressive Web Applications. It is software that operates on various devices and platforms with a standard web browser. PWA uses advanced technologies by which it can provide an app-like experience from a web browser to the user. It is developed with technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. So PWA is a web page having the feature of performing like web applications.
Flutter Vs PWA: Which is More Preferable?
There are specific parameters by which we can differentiate Flutter and PWA. The following are those:
| Parameters | Flutter | PWA |
| Developed By | Google in 2017. | Google in 2015. |
| Performance | Moderately High | High |
| Space | More Space is Required | Less Space is Required |
| UI | Pixel Interface provides an Ultimate User experience. | User Experience is Compromised. |
| Speed | Fast | Super Fast |
| Feature Support | Supports Advanced Feature | Partial Support of Advanced Feature |
| Connectivity & Data Usage | Requires Steady and Speed Network. | Works with low or no Network. |
Now, we will discuss the above-stated parameters in detail:
Performance
The first parameter differentiating Flutter vs PWA is Performance. Flutter is a framework that uses the Dart programming language and thus can easily be compiled into native code, which will help to improve performance. Thus, Flutter would provide excellent performance on Android and iOS platforms. In comparison, the PWA can be accessed through a web browser. JavaScript has mainly used language in PWAs. However, with the technological improvements, PWA is giving tough competition to Dart. If you want to check and improve the performance of your application, hire flutter developers from us; we will help you thoroughly.
Space Complication
The applications developed with Flutter will require more space than the PWAs. The applications developed with PWA will require less amount of space. It will be less than one mega bite, while the application developed with Flutter will require a space of seven megabytes or more. Let’s take an example to understand it more clearly: downloading Pinterest from the play store will take about 40 MB, but the PWA version of Pinterest will take only 150 KB of the browser cache. Thus, it is one of the vital parameters of Flutter vs PWA.
User Interface
Flutter uses pixel-perfect, which will help to make the user experience more enhanced and engaging. But it will require more space. In comparison, the PWAs use less data which will require sacrificing user experience. But the PWAs will be much faster and lighter. User interface plays a very vital role when we compare Flutter vs PWA.
Speed
The loading speed of PWAs is faster than Flutter apps. As we know, if the page’s loading speed is fast, it will improve the user’s experience, which is directly related to the conversion ratio. For instance, MakeMyTrip opted for PWAs from a native app, which significantly helped them. As per some reports, their conversion ratio improved by 38%, and their loading speed was improved by 3X.
Feature Support
The compatibility of advanced features is critical in comparing Flutter vs PWA. Flutter is a software development kit used for efficiently developing cross-platform applications. Flutter has more features than the PWA. Flutter is compatible with the device’s hardware features, like location, bluetooth, camera, microphone, and other features. So, Flutter will have an extra edge over the PWAs.
Connectivity and Data Usage
The PWAs have the edge over Flutter in this parameter. As the PWAs can work with low or no network, it is impossible for the apps developed with Flutter. This is possible for the PWAs because they are smaller than the Flutter. Thus, it loads quickly and does not drain massive amounts of data.
Conclusion:
In this article, we have mentioned specific parameters by which you can differentiate Flutter vs PWA. To summarize this article, if you want to use different features like the performance of native applications, customized UI/UX, and eligibility to device hardware features, then Flutter will be great for you. But if you prefer easy distribution, less consumption of data, better connectivity, and broader reach across platforms, then PWA is for you. Still, if you are still deciding which one is better for you, you can contact Flutter App Development Services to help you select the better framework per your requirements. Read more from Wikipedia
